Once Upon a Heartbeat
by Mayumi88
Summary: She's the strong, kindhearted, powerful girl. They THOUGHT he was the weak, lonely boy.But something's wrong with Naruto...It's the reason why she'll become the greatest med-nin of all time... Their childhood is just the beggining. NaruSaku, SasuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

HiiiiiiiiizZz everyone!!!

It's been SO LONG since I've written anything, but now I'm back and ready to let my imagination go wild 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any character in this fanfic 

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

"Ow, Mom! Where are we going?" a little pink-haired girl asked as her mother pulled her roughly, forcing her to jog.

"Not now, Sakura. Just hurry. I don't want that wretched thing to lay eyes on us.

The innocent five year old wondered at her mother's reactions. She didn't understand. She craned her neck, while hoping her mother wouldn't catch her, to get a glimpse of the little blonde boy whose sight so offended the woman. She thought he'd be about her age, but his crying made him look a bit younger. She then decided that she was thinking too much and dinner was only a few feet away.

* * *

"Come on, guys! Pass the ball!" a number of seven-year-old kids were shouting at the same time. Sakura, usually preferring her male friends, was very excited at that moment. If that kid passed her the ball, she would undoubtedly score and be the cause of her team's winning. She wanted that glory badly. Her smile widened when she saw the boy turn towards her, staring in her direction. She waited, ready, but he just stood there, doing nothing, with the strangest expression on his face, almost like terror. And then she realized that most of her friends were also staring at her, some with annoyance, some with downright horror.

"What?" she was usually brave, but something told her this was serious.

A voice from somewhere behind her made her jump.

"Can-can I play? With you?" she gasped when she saw it was the blonde boy from a couple of years ago. She remembered him clearly for some reason. She was very surprised she hadn't realized that she hadn't seen him once since that day. He wasn't the only blonde in the village, but she knew.

She was about to reply when two things happened at the same time. Her mother's face appeared in her mind, scolding and angry, warning her that this boy was very dangerous, and she was not allowed to even go near him, yet alone speak to him. The other thing was a boy's shouting.

"Get out of here!"

She wheeled in anger. She had never expected on of her friends to be so cruel.

It didn't stop there.

"Come on, leave us alone!" he repeated, and he kicked the ball hard, aiming at the blonde. He missed, but the reaction on the target's face couldn't have looked more hurt if the ball _had _hit him.

"Hey jerk, stop it," she yelled. She was never considered a sweet caring girl, but this was too much. She turned back to the sad eyes.

"I'm sorry, we're not allowed to speak to you." It was true, she thought. She was innocent, and she had no idea that her words were the most painful he had heard yet. It showed on his face.

"I understand." He half smiled. He just looked at her as if pleading her for the reason, but then just turned and walked away.

She looked after him, pity starting to invade her emotions.

* * *

"Mom, not too hard!" Sakura whined. Her mother was combing her hair, getting her ready for one of the most important events in her life, exactly three days after the ball incident.

Her first day at the academy.

"Now honey, make me proud." Her mother pecked her on the cheek.

"Bye Mom!" and she rushed out, excitement flooding her singing voice.

When she reached the academy, she saw to her disappointment that she was far from the first to arrive. About a dozen had won the race of which all of Konoha were contestants , and all but her were oblivious to. She craned her neck in every direction trying to find a good seat, for she had promised herself she _would_ make her mother proud. She sighed sadly when she saw that no seat closer than one in the fourth row was available. She sat down, her eyes roaming the sea of heads before her, looking for someone in particular. That someone was nowhere to be found. She supposed it was ok, she just hoped he hand't fallen into trouble, especially trouble involving the town's kids.

She sat herself gracefully in her disappointing seat, very aware of the staring she was receiving from both boys and girls. She knew, smart as she was, that she was exceptionally pretty, a fact she was used to hearing from everybody she met.

Her green eyes continued searching, ignoring some of the braver boys who were trying to score her interest.

"Excuse me, is the seat next to you free?"

She turned her head to the right, not believing the arrogance some boys had. She was about to make him sorry except that her eyes went just a little wide staring at the very handsome boy expecting her answer.

"Yes."

His black hair, standing up at the back of his head shined, matching the color of his eyes. She admitted he was cute, and yes he made her a little flustered, but she convinced herself that she wasn't a bonehead to judge by appearances alone. She felt proud to be able to think that way despite her young age, feeling closer to adulthood, the stage for which she craved.

The mysterious but not-_that_-handsome boy sat in silence, no bothering to engage Sakura in conversation, or anyone else in that matter. It struck her as a little blow to her ego. Now she wasn't an obnoxious pretty girl, but her beauty was something she was sure of. And here was this _boy_ acting like he didn't even realize she existed.

"Hmph!" and she turned her head the other side, realizing only then that she had been staring at him. But she wasn't sorry, for that head-turn made her see a flash of orange run into the class almost crashing into an innocent student chatting with a new-made friend. She watched as his eyes swept the class as if looking for someone, except his eyes held a certain look that revealed he did not expect a cheery welcome or a waving hand. Sure enough, an eerie silence suddenly ringed, travelling like a huge wave, first hitting the back rows and then quickly spreading until not even breathing sounds could be heard.

_So much for a nice first day_, Naruto thought glumly.

He smiled nonetheless, and walked to take a seat two rows from the very last. The kid next to him gave him a disgusted look and changed his seat.

Her anger soared at once. She was about to do something about it when the unfriendly boy next to her spoke.

"Idiot."

She turned to him in surprise.

"I know! What is up with those jerks?" she exclaimed.

"I meant Blondie."

Her eyes widened.

"Why did he come when he knew this was what would happen?"

Her mouth fell open.

"You jerk." And with that she stood up and walked away. Well, not that far, as she stopped just when she reached Mr. Orange.

"Can I sit here, please?" she asked politely, smiling just slightly.

It was evident that he recognized her from the way his mouth opened.

"Of course." He said, smiling lopsidedly.

"I'm Sakura." She introduced.

"I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." He said enthusiastically.

She was just starting to think of something to talk about when their sensei arrived, signaling the start of homeroom.

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Hope you enjoyed 

Please R & R


	2. Chapter 2

Hiiiiiiiz everyone…

Here's the second chapter… enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Naruto, but I don't!

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

It was a short day; consisting mainly of introductions and just some information about the subjects they'll be taught, and a lot of talk about how to be a great ninja. It was interesting to all the kids, who were just on the doorstep of the shinobi world, except maybe one Shikamaru who slept through most of the day, waking up every now and then only to mutter something that sounded something like "troublesome" and go back to his slumber. Sakura loved every bit of it, drinking everything she was told and storing it deep in her head. She was going to be the top student; she would make sure of that. She could see from the first few periods that her classmates were mostly average, only one or two who stood out a little, and some who gave a clear example of a student forced to go to school. As annoying as it was for her, she had to admit that that not-so-cute kid was exceptionally good and earned a lot of respect from the very first period, showing a lot of knowledge, cleverness and fighting skills. She felt competitive and somewhat intimidated by the dark head, not expecting him to be so good. On the other hand, she developed the habit of checking on Uzumaki-kun every time she found herself in a dilemma, wondering how he would solve it. He wasn't a genius, but he surprised her a few times with his smart noting and sharp eyes. But what really stood out in this boy's character was his unbelievable, out-of-this-world kindness. He had a wide smile ready for every situation, good or bad. Sometimes she thought she saw a hurt look on his face, but then a huge laugh would deny what she saw. Otherwise, a determined expression haunted his face a lot, especially when dealing with teachers. It was extremely obvious how everybody, mostly adults, seemed not just to hate him, but to despise him, and what hurt was that they didn't bother to hide that hatred. As the days went by, it was starting to drive her crazy. What in the world did he do that made him deserve such a treatment? In her opinion, it was just too cruel.

* * *

"Yes, tonight."

"How long?"

"Twenty minutes."

Sakura was walking back home from school almost two months after enrolling into the academy, humming pleasantly to herself. It was almost dark; having stayed in school until she had done all the homework she had been assigned. She took a shortcut to her house, wanting nothing but to go home and just relax. Of course it wasn't some dingy old alley where she'd be in danger of running into some mean old bad guys, so she walked as carefree as one can possibly be, no really listening to the several conversations around her.

"Keep your voice down, moron."

A sense of forbidding made her halt.

"I'm glad we're putting an end to that _monster_." One of them whispered loudly, as if not caring whether he could be heard or not.

She gasped in shock.

She had heard that word only too many times. From her friends, while playing and pretending, and it was a lot of fun. But when that word came from an adult, it had _always_ involved that one boy.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Could they possible mean _him_? She thought desperately.

But what did they mean, "Put an end to him"?

She wasn't dumb.

Her heart beat so hard it hurt, and her eyes started to water. The fear she felt shook her world completely, freezing her.

_Sakura, get a grip._ She scolded herself.

_I can save Uzumaki-kun._

She thanked God they hadn't noticed her at all despite her loud gasp, and she resumed her walking, trying as much as she could to keep herself from running flat out to Sandaime's tower in her terror. As soon as she was out of their sight, she did, reaching the big office in minutes. Nobody stopped her after seeing her expression.

"HOKAGE-SAMA!" she exclaimed in as loud a voice as she could muster after running so much.

"Naruto's in danger, am I right?" he replied quickly, frowning deeply.

She blinked.

"YES! Please, Sandaime-sama! They're gonna _kill_ him."

"Izumo." He called, and a shinobi appeared right in front of his desk.

"Your orders, Hokage-sama."

"Take your team to Naruto's house immediately. Your objective is to protect Naruto and by no means can he be allowed to get hurt." The anger in his voice made her think of him as scary for the first time in her life.

"And the enemy?"

"Bring them alive." And with that, he disappeared.

The third Hokage now turned to Sakura, his expression softening.

"I am very proud of you, young one. You have done a great thing tonight."

Her eyes welled up, and she started to cry. He got up and walked around his desk to kneel right next to her, holding her in his arms.

"What's your name?"

"Sakura. Haruno Sakura." She managed to whimper.

"It takes a lot of courage to do what you did." He said matter-of-factly. "You will become a great ninja, Sakura-chan."

She said nothing, and he let her go.

"Go home now, Sakura-chan." He said gently. "I know it's been a rough day for you. But rest assured, Naruto will be fine. I have sent a strong team to protect him. You will see him in a couple of days at the most. Then again," he smiled. "Knowing Naruto, he'll be his usual loud self sooner than we expect. I would know." He added.

She didn't understand that last part, but decided to let it go.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." She bowed.

He shook his head.

"No, thank _you_, Sakura-chan."

She turned and left, her heart not eased. She walked back slowly, dying to know what was going to happen. Was Uzumaki-kun ok? Did the shinobi team reach those guys before or after they had got to him? Was he hurt?

She found she couldn't wait until the next day or two. She took a left turn and ran towards his house, sensing the danger but trying to ignore it. She was glad she knew where it was, after they had walked home together after school a few times. When she was pretty near, she slowed down into a careful walk, straining her ears to pick up something, anything. She didn't know if she _did_ want to hear something or not. As she pondered on this, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her head from the back, covering her mouth. If she hadn't lost all functions at that moment, she would've screamed. The unknown attacker pulled her backwards into the road from which she had just turned and then turned her around to face her.

"NARUTO!" she half-screamed.

His face went white.

She got the message.

He put a finger to his lips and jerked his head to the side asking her to follow him. But her eyes weren't focused on the hand to his face, they were locked on the hand placed just over his heart. She was about to ask what that was about when hurried footsteps announced the approaching of somebody. In a flash, Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand and ran as fast and silently as they could away from that person. She thought it might've been an ally, but decided not to say a thing after her stupid act half a minute ago. They stopped on one of Konoha's rooftops, needing to catch their breath.

"Uzumaki-kun, what happened?" she managed to let out between gasps of breath.

"They're all down." He said sadly.

"Down? What do you mean?"

"I don't know if they're dead or alive, but the four shinobi are not moving." He looked as if about to cry. As for Sakura, she felt helpless.

"Sakura-chan," he suddenly panted. It looked as though he was in pain. "Go quickly to the old geezer and tell him these men are no ordinary shinobi despite how they look. They're not from Konoha, neither do they wear any forehead protectors. They're a danger to Konoha, Sakura-chan, and I can't let anybody get hurt." He clutched his jacket over his heart tighter, wincing.

"Uzuma-"

"GO!" he urged. And she was shocked as Naruto suddenly disappeared with a pop.

"A shadow clone?" she wondered when on earth he had learned such a technique. Her heart stopped.

_Where was the _real_ Naruto-kun?_

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Hope you enjoyed :)

Please R&R


	3. Chapter 3

Hiiiiiiiiiiiz everyone!!

I know I deserve kicking, but I have exaaams… I promise I'll try to update the next chapter soon… as for this chapter…enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

She stood there, panicking. She knew she needed to go to the Hokage, and fast, but her feet wouldn't stop shaking. Her realization that she might get caught by whoever it was who was following them was making it even harder for her to move, and, sure enough, a distinct sound was coming, hurtling towards her as she stood. She turned her brain back on.

The pursuer stood exactly where she had been exactly a second earlier, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!"

He stood, still as a statue, his eyes roaming the area like a mad man, searching. Only the quiet sound of the night met his ears.

"You look like a scarecrow."

He wheeled around to face his tall, lean comrade.

"Shut up, Takano. I'm trying to listen," he hissed between clenched teeth as he resumed his stance. The other only smiled.

"I take it back, Kuniya-san. You're a lot uglier than a scarecrow."

"You wanna die, bastard?"

"Nope." He smiled simply. Hadn't the man named Kuniya been preoccupied at that moment, he would have gone for the cheeky man next to him.

"Relax, Kuniya-san. We'll find the brat."

"You mean brat_s_. A girl was here with him."

The taller man chuckled.

"So? We'll find both of them. What can a brat, and the shadow clone of a brat do?"

"You idiot, we've been told countless times not to underestimate the shinobi of this village, even if they were just children. And this is the Kyuubi child we're dealing with. Take this mission lightly and you die. Not that I care," he spat.

"Ouch, Kuniya-san. You really have to-" he took out two kunai in a split-second and threw them towards the front door of the house just across from the one on which its rooftop they were occupying, embedding themselves fully in the concrete around it.

This time, his smile was lopsided.

"She's here." And his pleasant expression was replaced by a menacing one almost instantly. "I _hate_ it when runts play smart." He disappeared for almost a complete second and then reappeared, holding Sakura by the throat. She kicked and flailed, tears streaming down her face in a choked cry.

_I don't wanna die_, was all she could think of.

"What do you think I should do with her?" her capturer mused.

"Kill her." A short answer for a short man.

She stopped crying. In that surreal moment, she knew there was nothing more she could have done to save herself. Even her invisible technique which she had learned only by theory in class and had just performed for the very first time in her life had not saved her, unlike her prediction. The man named Takano raised his hand and it glowed with homogenous chakra. She closed her eyes as she thought of Uzumaki Naruto's cheery smile.

* * *

"Father, I'm heading out."

"Wait, Itachi. It's late, what's going on?" his pretty mother reached him as he was about to leave. Her husband stood sternly next to her.

"Something's not right, mother. The air feels different, I can tell. And there's been bloodshed not too far from here." She clasped her hand to her mouth.

"I want to take Sasuke with me."

"I'm going without you asking." He appeared in the hallway dressed and ready to set out, looking his usual bored self. His father suddenly spoke.

"Itachi, you are my _son_. Do not forget that."

Everybody but Itachi gave the head of the Uchiha family a quizzical look. _What did this have to do with anything?_

In reply, the older son smirked.

"Don't point out the obvious, _Father._" And he walked out. Sasuke followed, staring at his older brother's broad back, not knowing he was following his only sibling out of their house for the last time.

* * *

"Send an Anbu squad to the location involved at once," the third Hokage ordered while standing behind his desk, facing at least a dozen shinobi. Word of the attack had spread around the village and even reached the ears of the peaceful civilians.

"Several families have reported hearing a child's screams, Sandaime-sama." One of them revealed. Sarutobi flinched upon hearing this.

"What has become of Izumo's team?" he asked soberly.

"No word yet, Hokage-sama," his right-hand, Takanomi Mizuhara, informed him.

Sarutobi sighed deeply.

"We have underestimated them." And he looked up to look them in the eyes. "We cannot allow anymore to happen to Naruto."

One of the shinobi, a young man, spoke.

"Hokage-sama, isn't it likely he's already-"

"SILENCE!" and he hit the desk with his hand, hard, rocking everything that laid on the desk.

"It's the Demon Child. Let him die." Somebody from the back of the crowd muttered quietly, apparently to himself.

Everybody in the suddenly sweltering room held their breath, expecting another roar. The Sandaime spoke.

"Ebisu-san," he was quiet, calm, almost as if he had not heard. "I am sorry to hear this from you. Very sorry indeed. Let me warn you, though. Such words will not be uttered by you or anyone else in this village for that matter. Doing so will result in your deranking, Ebisu-san." The addressed man , tall and thin, wearing a bandanna, and complementing his look with dark round sunglasses that he seemed to keep on even indoors straightened up slightly.

"My deepest apologies, Hokage-sama," he said in a low, deep whisper that failed to hide the smirk that clutched to it. The Hokage held his gaze through the parting the rest of the warriors made to give the Hokage a clear view of the rude offender.

"Remember this, Ebisu-san. Be you a Jounin, Chuunin, or even a Genin, one who thinks as such is not only not fit to be a ninja, but more importantly," he frowned deeply, "he is not fit to be a human being."

Most of the gathering shinobi lowered their heads to this, each of them aware of the hidden accusation pointed at them in their ruler's words. The old man turned to Mizuhara abruptly.

"Please gather a team in less than ten minutes and head there immediately. Stress the importance of this mission and do NOT allow half-hearted participations." And he raised his arm signaling their dismissal.

A couple hundred feet away, a dismissal of a group of people had also taken place, however, there was no describing the difference in their goals.

"His eyes are still open, this rat," the whip landed on the boy several times, aiming for as much surface area of the small body as it could possibly reach.

"He won't scream, either." Another member of the group stepped up to stand next to the man holding the leathery, shiny whip. "He's something, this kid is," he said matter-of-factly, as if praising him for his good grades. The large man smirked.

"Well we can't allow that now, can we?" He transferred the whip to his left hand. His comrade smiled. He suddenly felt almost sorry for that blonde boy hanging by the wrists in their little hideout.

_Almost._

The right hand had formed a seal.

"Fire Snake Technique," he muttered, and the whip inhis left hand suddenly burst into flames. As he flashed his whip in different directions mainly to show off, most of his group thought, it looked exactly as if it were-

"A snake on fire," several people muttered slowly with awe. He turned to face the blonde child.

"Let's see you handle this, tough guy."

She lay on the floor face down, gasping for air, which to her seemed to burn like fire every time it went through her pierced lung and out. The pain was unbearable, making her only capable of thinking a single thought: how much she wanted it to end, even if it meant her dying. She struggled to move, praying her legs would just twitch so that she could crawl to the Village Hospital. Her streaming eyes stung, and she had gone completely quiet since her throat would not permit anymore screams of pain. She felt dizzy, and she wildly remembered a trip she had taken with her parents on a boat some time ago. The thought brought fresh tears to her already bloodshot eyes.

"Mom…Dad…" she whimpered.

"Need anything, _dear_? And he lifted her by the hair, forcing her to scream like she had never done in her life.

"If only you were a little older," he sighed, ignoring her kicking wildly a foot from the ground. "You would've turned out _fine_." He caressed her cheek gently. She was oblivious to it all. "Oh well, you should at least be thankful you weren't that blonde whiskered boy." He smirked. "Compared to him, you're in utter paradise."

Her eyes suddenly widened in surprise and her flailing stopped.

"I'm sorry to say that's a place you'll never see." He froze as a strong arm wrapped around his neck, a kunai threatened to pierce his neck if he so much as flinched. He dropped Sakura.

"Wow, I didn't sense you at all," he said calmly. "Then it's true. This village really is strong."

"And that's something you'll never live to tell." An angry grey-haired ninja stated. Sakura could have died from relief. It was Kakashi-sensei, one of the strongest Jounin in Konoha, she had heard. An Anbu suddenly appeared right next to the blood-soaked girl.

"I'll leave her to you, then." Kakashi requested without turning to him." The Anbu nodded once, lifted Sakura gently, eliciting new bouts of pain nonetheless, and disappeared. She couldn't think anything anymore as she slipped into complete blackness.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed :)

Please R&R


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